Residents return home to Hatteras

BY ALIANA RAMOS Staff writer

STUMPY POINT -- Water churned behind the ferry Sunday, sending dozens of Hurricane Irene evacuees back to a place they hadn't seen in more than a week: home.
It was the first wave of residents to return to Hatteras Island since the devastating storm. The island was cut off from the mainland when Irene's storm surge washed out chunks of N.C. 12.
Many of the 4,300 residents were evacuated before the storm. And over the next two days, ferries will continue to send them back.
On Sunday, Buxton residents and business owners stacked up on ferries leaving Stumpy Point for the two- to three-hour trip to try to get their lives back on track.
Chloe Christ was among them. She and her family evacuated Aug. 26, a day before Irene arrived.
It was a close call, she said as she awaited the 8 a.m. ferry. Her newborn son Azlon was due the day the storm arrived. Luckily he came early, on Aug. 19.
As she waited, state troopers and ferry workers stacked incoming vehicles, preparing them for the return trip to Buxton, radios crackling. Christ's older children buzzed in and out of the truck.
Through it all, Azlon was nestled in her arms, asleep and oblivious to the commotion.
Lost tourism
Buxton wasn't hit as hard as other parts of Hatteras. But residents there say the recovery is far from over. The biggest consequence will be the loss of the last few weeks of summer, normally a financial boon for the tourist-driven island.
Christ and her husband, Joshua Christ, work in jobs that rely on tourists. Chloe works as a hair stylist for weddings, which are popular in September. Joshua Christ works as a massage therapist.
Visitors won't be allowed back on Hatteras Island until after Sept. 17.
"The thing that worries me is my job," Joshua Christ said. "This is when we make our money to survive. This is our livelihood. This thing is going to mess us up for a long time. My house is OK, but that is only part of the problem."
Natural Art Surf shop owner Carol Busbey said this is the second Labor Day that tourists have been kept out. Last year, Hurricane Earl's winds brought flooding.
"I just finished cleaning up from Earl about four months ago," said Busbey, who was among those returning to Buxton on Sunday. "My business is 99 percent tourism. The worst is, when is business going to return? I'm not planning on it being back until October."
Island Perks Bistro kitchen manager Nicholas Cockler was not optimistic about the prospects for the next month.
"Job-wise, the season is over," he said. "Tourists aren't going to be able to return for a while."
Those boarding ferries Sunday weren't the only ones still coping with the hurricane's impact. Ferry workers who lived in Avon and Rodanthe, the hardest hit areas on the island, reported for duty.
"A lot of them are putting their lives and the repairs of their homes and their families' homes on hold," said Trafford Hill, a ferry worker and Buxton resident. "One captain has a garage with several feet of water."
Electricity flows
Village of Hatteras residents will be allowed back on the island today, and Frisco residents can go home Tuesday. Residents have assigned times to return to the island based on their last names.
Sunday's re-entry appeared to go smoothly despite some minor delays. Dare County asked vendors to arrive between midnight and 4:30 a.m. Sunday to leave space on the ferry during the day open for residents. Suppliers bringing in wood pallets and machinery arrived at 6 a.m. and throughout the morning, extending the waiting times for some residents.
The Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative has kept power going to the island using emergency generators. The electric company is asking residents to limit usage of major appliances like dishwashers, TVs, personal computers and clothes dryers between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. A temporary transmission system is expected to go up within the next few days as crews work on a more permanent fix, spokeswoman Susan Flythe said.
A temporary bridge will be built across the largest breach on Hatteras Island, restoring traffic on N.C. 12 in less than a month. The $10 million project will be paid for with emergency federal funds.
Until it's up, the ferries will continue.
And they'll return with an eye on the sky: Tropical Storm Katia could bring heavy rain and winds within the next few days.
Staff writer Sarah Nagem contributed to this report.